Method and appraratus for supplying webs to newspaper printing presses



M. M. FARLEY METHOD AND APEARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WEBS TO NEWSPAPER PRINTING PRESSES 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5. 1952 w m m June 5, 1934. M. M.- FARLEY- 1,961,685

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WEBS TO NEWSPAPER PRII IIING PRESSE S Filed April 5. 1932 e Shets-Sheet 2 Jun 5, 1934. M FARLE'Y 1,961,685

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLY'ING WEBS TO NEWSPAPER PRiNTING PRESSES v Filed April 5. 1932 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 (1cm A M. M. FARLEY 1,961,685 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WEBS TO NEWSPAPER PRINTING PRESSES June 5, 1934. v

6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 5. 1952 M M. FARLEY June 5; 1934.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WEBS 'TO NEWSPAPER PRINTING PRESSES Filed April 5, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I ll IIIIIII grvuewtor June 5, 1934- M. M. FARLEY 61,685

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WEBS TO NEWSPAPER PRINTING PRESSES Filed April 5. 1932 6 sheets sheet 6 \A QAQMW. T

Patented June 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT FFECE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WEBS TO NEWSPAPER P It I N T I N G PRESSES Marcus M. Farley, Battle Creek, Mich, assignor to Duplex Printing Press Company, Battle Claims.

This invention is an improvement in web printing presses and its object is to increase the net product ofia rotary newspaper printing press without increasing the speed by doing away with the necessity for slowing down or stopping the press during the running of an edition because of the exhaustion of the web supply roll or the necessity for pasting in a fresh supply roll:

Evenwhere mechanical pastors are employed the press has to be slowed down to make the paste, and fast or so-called high speed pasters are so expensive that the ordinary newspaper. publisher cannot afford the expense thereof.

Tofacilitate an understanding of my invention it should be noted that newspaper is furnished to the newspaper publishers in rolls usually about 30" in diameter and containing from 8,006 to 10,068 newspaper lengths per roll. print an edition of more than 10,000 papers it is necessary to paste the leading end of a press roll of paper onto the tail end of an exhausted roll; and in running a large edition of papers this stoppage and pasting would occur once for each 10,000 lengths of papers printed in any perfecting unit if each roll contained exactly the same amount or yardage or" paper.

Newspaper printing presses such as are employed in printing metropolitan daily papers of large size (many papers running from to 60 pages) must employ a large number of perfecting press units; some newspapers employing three to six units, (which with a folder is re-- ferred to as one press) and each unit must be fed with paper from press rolls as above doscribed. during the running of an edition; and

the number of possible stoppages and of pastings required for keeping each unit supplied with paper is multiplied according to the number of perfecting units employed.

A break in the webs for any unit necessitates stoppage of the press until the web is repaired and the time required to stop the press, repair the web, and get the machinery up to speed again slows up production.

A large proportion ofthe breaks in web occur between the roll of paper and the cylinders due to defects or irregularities in the rolls of paper laid on the side and other rolls placed on. top theunder rolls are liable to become flattened or made elliptical in section, (at) varying percentage of moisture content afiecting quantity of static. electricity. Static electricity is generated at times in the manufacture and subsequent handling of rolls of paper, and a roll of paper charged with a large amount of static electricity causes considerable trouble at times in its passage through the press, especially at high speed. Various devices are now used for removing this bothersome substance from the paper during its passage through the press, but all of these are more or less cumbersome andlinterfere with the operation of the press.

As the roll decreases in diameter, the surface speed of the paper remaining uniform, it revolves at a constantly increasing rate; the revolutions perminute being much greater as the roll decreases to a size approaching the core on which-it is wound; and ordinarily when one commercial roll is exhausted a new roll must be placed in position in the press, the leading end of the fresh roll of paper being attached to the tail end of the expiring roll. If the rolls were exactly the same in yardage one stop of the entire press for each roll length of paper would be suificient, but the quantity of paper in the rolls varies so that the stops for pasting occur at irregular periods, and as many times as there are commercial rolls required to supply the press, and this liability of stoppage and pasting is increased in accordance with the number of perfecting units in the complete press.

My invention obviates the necessity for pasting the rolls during running of the press, and also all the above objections. Defects in the web are eliminated before the printing begins by building up a super-size roll of web, large enough to supply the paper ior an edition while the press is idle, by rewinding a plurality of commercial rolls to form one large super roll containing enough length of newspaper for a complete edition; and then feed the printing press from such super roll. This operation provides for overcoming all the objectionable conditions mentioned above, the rewinding operation being done at times when the press is not producing newspapers or on edition. The paper while being rewound can be examined for defects and any such removed; the rewinding operation tends to reduce the variation in tension and eccentricity; it allows the moisture content to become more uniform and tends to eliminate static electricity; it allows the use of larger cores to reduce the revolutions per minute of paper rolls; and it eliminates the time taken to join the small rolls during the printing period.

This reconditioning of the paper is of great advantage because in rewinding the paper any dust that might have collected in the paper at the mill would be removed, a large proportion of static would be removed, and also it would give the operator an opportunity not only for correcting errors in the paper as mentioned in the description, but also to properly moisten the paper and apply means to remove the static. These features tend, in additiofii to the fact that paper will be run at a more uniform speed through the press, to improve the printing or make an improvement in the finished product.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated two practical means for utilizing my invention and will explain the same with reference to said drawings to enable those skilled in the art to readily adopt and use the same, but I do not consider the invention limited to the particular mechanisms shown, and refer to the claims for summaries of the essential features of the invention and novel combinations and constructions of parts for which protection is desired.

In the drawings:-

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevation of two web perfecting units, each provided with a web rewinding and feeding attachment. While in the complete machine a large number of such units may be employed each unit is identical in so far as the web rewinding and controlling mechanism is concerned, for convenience and simplicity the rewinder drive motor is only shown on the left hand unit in Fig. l and the rewound web driving mechanism and the main press drive are only shown on right hand unit.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view showing the complete web rewinding and super roll feeding mechanisms, of a printing unit.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification of the rewinding and super roll rewinding and feeding devices.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of one of the units in Fig. 5, with the complete web rewinding devices, and means for feeding web from the super web roll.

Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a top plan view of Fig. 7.

The complete newspaper press installation may have from six to twenty or more printing units divisible into groups of from 3 to 6 units delivering into one folder. Each unit comprises a perfecting mechanism of the unit type, disposed above a web supplying mechanism including means for supplying webs from ordinary web rolls to a rewinding roll which when of full size will contain as much web as a number of the ordinary rolls and is indicated by the super-size rewound web roll in the drawings.

A perfecting press unit as mentioned herein carries a maximum of sixteen plates; by using different quantities of plates it is used to print from two to sixteen pages of a newspaper. N ewspapers are issued from the same office with the number of pages varying from day to day; someeach unit will require a roll of paper although all the rolls may not be of the same width. As an example a 38-page paper will require five units, although the full capacity of the five units in an -page newspaper.

As each press section or unit embodies the same mechanisms :1. description of one will describe all, and similar parts will be similarly lettered in each unit; the operations of rewinding webs into super rolls, and of feeding web from the super rolls to the perfecting mechanism are performed alike by the mechanisms of each unit. In Figs. 1 and 5 some of the mechanisms are only partly shown in some of the units for the sake of clearness in illustration and explanation, each unit in Fig. 1 will be complete as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and each unit in Fig. 5 will be complete as in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, each unit is adapted to accommodate two ordinary commercial size web rolls W, side by side at the lower end of the unit and parallel with the press cylinders. These rolls may be mounted on trucks T which are spotted in place by pilot pins. Proper tension is provided on these rolls by con ventional design tension blocks, not shown, mounted on one end of the roll spindle and fastened to one end of the truck. One 30" diameter web roll is shown feeding the large rewound web roll R.

This rewound web roll R is mounted in bearings in the side frames above the rolls W, the shaft 1 of roll R carries a gear la which meshes with a pinion 2a on a motor 2 mounted on a bracket on the frame. Pinion 2 can be shifted to engage gear 1a when it is desired to rewind webs, or may be disengaged when it is not desired to rewind, or when the Web is being fed from the roll R to the printing cylinders.

In the left hand unit in Fig. l the web from the left hand roll W is being rewound on roll R, while the web from the right hand roll W is shown as being led direct to the cylinders, in case it be desired to print a small edition during rewinding. In a similar manner however the web from the right hand roll W might be rewound on roll R, while the web from left hand roll is being led direct to the cylinders.

In the right hand unit Fig. l the web is being fed to the press from the rewound super web roll R. The webs can be rewound from the adjacent rolls W alternately. When the press is being fed from the rewound roll R the latter is driven to feed the web by suitable means as shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

The rewound roll R is driven directly from the press drive and at a speed necessary to keep the proper tension with the aid of an ordinary tension adjustment, by the following means: A bevel gear 3, which is the main drive gear of the press unit drive, drives a bevel gear 3a which is keyed to the drive shaft 3?). Shaft 31) is keyed to and drives a sprocket 30 (Fig. 1) which through sprocket chain 3d drives sprocket 3e (Fig. 1) which is keyed to and drives a shaft 4a which is supported in bearings on swinging links 4 disposed at opposite sides of the press. A gear 422 is keyed to shaft 4a at the opposite side of the press. Gear 41) drives gears 40 and 4d which are keyed to the shafts of drums 5 and 5a respectively supported by bearings in frames 50 on opposite sides of the press. Said frames 50 are supported by swingable arms 5e hung on shaft 319 and frames 50 can partially turn shaft 4a. The web travels from the web roll under drums 5a and 5 to and around a guide roll 6, which is supported in frames 50 and thence led to the printing unit.

This driving mechanism is capable of being thrownout of gear when the press is running from web rolls other than the large rewound web roll. It is also possible to hoist this driving mechanism out of the way if necessary when rewinding the large rewound web roll.

Referring to Fig. 1, the left hand printing unit is shown as being fed from a mill roll on the loading truck while the super roll isbeing rewound. This mill roll feed may be used to good advantage while the printing press is being adjusted and made ready for the edition without drawing upon the super rolls, assuming, of course, that they have already been rewound and are ready for the edition; also this auxiliary method may be used for a sudden call fora comparatively small number of papers additional to the amount called for in the original order, assuming that the super rolls are exhausted.

In Figs; 2, 3, 4, the roll R is shown in the unwinding or press feeding position, and the feed or mill rolls W are omitted as they would not be used when the mechanism is in the unwinding condition. I have shown the conventional tension brake in Figs. 2-4. The device described acts to relieve excessive tension on the tension blocks. In drawing the paper from the super roll R at the proper speed to feed the press, it also acts to assist the brake if the press be stopped suddenly which would throw an excessive strain on the brake mechanism.

In Figs. 5 to 8 the construction and equipment of both units is identical in so far as the web controlling mechanism is concerned. However, for convenience and simplicity the rewinder motor drive is only shown on the left hand unit and the web driving mechanism is only shown on the right hand unit. The main press drive is only shown on the right hand unit to indicate the means for driving the web driving mechanism. Instead of actuating the rewinding roll from its center, means shown in Figs. 5-8 are provided for actuating the super rewound web roll from its periphery. In these figures the rewound roll R is supported both during rewinding and during feeding web therefrom on parallel drums '7 and 7a. driven by the same through friction. Drum '7 is driven by a gear on the shaft of motor M meshing with a gear 7d keyed to and shiftable on the shaft of drum '7.

A bevel gear 7e is fast to gear 7d and movable therewith and adapted to mesh with a bevel gear 7g driven by suitable shafting from the main drive of the press. Gear 70'. meshes with a double width face idler gear 7f so that it drives 7 'when in mesh with '70 for rewinding and when shifted forward out of mesh with 70, and bevel gears 7e and 7g are meshed to drive the rewound web roll when it feeds the press. Gear 7 also meshes with a gear in on the shaft of drum 7a and hence while the roll R is being rewound from the roll W at the left of Fig. 5, the right hand roll W is shown feeding the printing unit at the same time, indicating that the rewinding operation may take place while the press is in operation. The opposite web rolls W may obviously be similarly rewound or fed to those shown in the first unit; or the press may be idle while the roll R is being rewound. The large rol1 R may be rewound from alternate rolls W to possibly decrease the time required to supply fresh rolls.

. Fig. 5 shows the right-hand printingunit being fed from the rewound roll R which is. driven directly from the press drive and at the speed necessary to keep the proper tension with the aid of the usual tension adjustments, by the following means. A bevel gear 8, which is the main unit drivegear, also drives a bevel gear 8a which is keyed'to and drives shaft 8?) on which is keyed the bevel gear 79. Bevel gear 7e is shifted into mesh with a bevel gear 79, the gear is. being integral with spur gear 7d and feather keyed to the shaft end of drum '7. Spur gear 7d meshes with the double width idler gear 7 which drives spur gear 771 keyed to the shaft of drum 7a. The rewound web roll R is supported and driven by drums 77a both in rewinding and unwinding, the friction between said drums and the rewound web roll R being sufficient to turn the roll R. When gear la is adjusted in mesh with 7g, the spur gear 7d is still in mesh with the wide-spaced gear 7 but not in mesh with '70 on the shaft of motor M. Changing from one drive to the other is made by shifting the gear 7e mounted on the feather key on drum 7. The shifting of gears in and out of mesh is common in the art and the gears are shown in one position only.

It will be understood that I employ a new method of printing consisting essentially in providing the press with means whereby a super roll of rewound web may be prepared for each unit, the rewinding being preferably effected by means independent of the press drive so that some winding may be done while the press is printing a short edition, but the major rewinding is accomplished during the time that the press is idle. It is essential that sufiicient'web shall berewound as a continuous length of web on the super-web roll tosupply web fora full edition of the paper from such roll without the necessity of pasting webs or shifting from one commercial web roll to another during the printing of such edition. I thus avoid the principal annoyances and delays involved in printing a large edition from a plurality of ordinary commercial sized web rolls.

The super rewound web roll may contain from five to ten times the length of paper in an ordinary commercial web roll. Such a large roll would be impractical to transport, and therefore I preferably build up the super-web roll in such position that the web can be supplied therefrom directly to the press.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the rewound web roll is operated by power applied to its axis or center during rewinding, and is unwound by power applied to its periphery. In the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 8 the rewound roll is rotated both in rewindingand unwinding by power applied to its periphery. The method of operation so far as the press is concerned is the same in both cases. When the press is idle the rewound web rolls can be built up in the manner described to the desired size, and when the press is ready to start on a large edition the rewinding is stopped and the web fed from the super rewound rolls direct to the press.

The advantages of the invention in saving of time, doing away with necessity of stoppages of the press for pasting the web; and with the expensive mechanism required for making flying pastes, and also obviating the necessity of handling a multiplicity of commercial web rolls during the printing of a large edition, will be obvious. The invention also keeps the web supply room practically free and clear of turmoil during the operation of the press. By enabling the press to operate continuously at its full speed without any stoppage or slowing down for changing of the webs during the running of an edition, the actual speed of production of the ordinary printing presses for a large edition is practically increased from 15 to 25%, so that a press of moderate speed can deliver as much actual product in a given time as a so-called high speed press which has to be checked or stopped for pasting webs during the running of the edition.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of operating newspaper printing presses; consisting in rewinding a plurality of commercial web rolls in a large super roll located adjacent the press and. in position to supply the press from the super roll with sufficient web to print a complete edition and thereafter, without altering the position of the super roll, feeding the web from said super roll to the press, whereby pasting webs or shifting web rolls during the printing of such edition is avoided.

2. In newspaper printing presses; means for rewinding webs from a plurality of commercial web rolls in a large super web roll sufficient to print a complete edition without having to paste webs or shift web rolls during such edition, and means for thereafter, without altering the position of the super roll feeding web continuously to the press from said super roll during the printing of such edition.

3. In mechanism as set forth in claim 2, means independent of the press driving means for operating the super web roll during the rewinding operation.

4. In mechanism as set forth in claim 2, means actuated by the press driving means for operating the super web roll during the printing operation of the press.

5. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 2, means engaging the periphery of the super web roll for rotating said roll to feed the web therefrom to the press during the printing operation.

6. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 2, means actuated by the driving mechanism of the press and engaging the periphery of the super web roll for rotating said roll to feed the web therefrom to the press during the=printing operation.

'7. In mechanism as set forth in claim 2, means independent or" the press driving means for operating the rewound roll during the rewinding operation; and means actuated by the press driving means for operating the super web roll during the printing operation of the press.

8. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 2,

means independent of the press driving means for operating the rewound roll during the rewinding operation; and means engaging the periphery of the super web roll for rotating said roll to feed the web therefrom to the press during the printing operation.

9. In a mechanism as set forth in claim 2, means independent of the press driving means for operating the rewound roll during the rewinding operation; and means actuated by the driving mechanism of the press and engaging the periphery of the super web roll for rotating said roll to feed the web therefrom to the press during the printing operation.

10. The herein described method of operating newspaper printing presses; consisting in rewinding webs from a plurality of commercial web rolls in a large super web roll While the press is idle; said super roll carrying sufficient web to print a complete edition without having to paste Webs or shift web rolls during printing of such edition, said super roll occupying the same position both during rewinding and when supplying web to the press, and feeding webs continuously to the press from said super roll during the printing of such edition.

11. The herein described method of operating newspaper printing presses; consisting in re- Winding a plurality of commercial web rolls in a large super r011 located adjacent the press and then supplying the press from the super roll with sufficient web to print a complete edition, said super roll occupying the same position both during rewinding and when supplying web to the press, whereby pastingwebs or shifting web rolls during the printing of such edition is avoided.

12. In newspaper printing presses; means for rewinding webs from a plurality of commercial web rolls in a large super web roll sufficient to print a complete edition without having to paste webs or shift web rolls during such edition, said super roll occupying the same position both during rewinding and when supplying web to the press; and means for thereafter feeding web continuously to the press from said super roll during the printing of such edition.

13. In mechanism as set forth in claim 12, the means for operating the super web roll during the rewinding operation being independent of the press driving means.

14. In mechanism as set forth in claim 12, means actuated by the press driving means for operating the super web roll to feed the web therefrom during the printing operation of the press.

15. In mechanism as set forth in claim 12, means independent of the press driving means for operating the rewound roll during the rewinding operation; and means actuated by the press driving means for operating the super web roll to feed the web therefrom during the printing operation of the press.

MARCUS M. FARLEY. 

